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Werebear
A Werebear or berserker(bear-skinned in Old Norse) is a species of the shapeshifter, similar to werewolf but even more fearsome and rare. The obvious difference is the ability to become a bear instead of a wolf, but there are other differences. Characteristics Unlike with werewolves, transformation of the werebear is triggered, not during the full moon but when "you lose yourself". Usually this can happen when berserker goes to blind rage, although in old times, berserkers also could get themselves blind drunk before the battle, which could potentially also trigger the transformation. Mead they drank was usually mixed with animal blood, so its taste could wake up their animalistic instincts. The drink also had psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybe or fly agaric) or herbs (henbane) mixed in, to make sure warrior would go mad during the battle and the result was like intended. Once transformed, the werebear can initially look like a hairy humanoid with bear claws and head. In this form it has limited ability of using the weapon that it holds and parely any sense of self. Already in this form, the berserker's mind is primitive, to the point that it lack basic skills to handle the weapons properly, relying mostly in brute strength than skill. They are even know to chew up their own shields in this state. Longer the battle goes, more animalistic the warrior becomes and in the end, berserker has completely transformed into a large monstrous bear-like beast. This is when it loses all of its humanity, turning into a raging monster who can't even make difference between friend and foe. In full bear mode, the werebear's skin and fur become durable against weapons or even fire. As already mentioned, werebear can't distinguish a friend from an enemy, thus they can attack even their own allies. Enraged berserker will keep on killing anything that moves until either it dies or there is nothing to kill anymore. In case of the latter, berserker will at first wander around, trying to find something to vent their anger upon but eventually it will pass out from its rage, going back to its human form. They can even attack each other and occasionally two berserkers were witnessed to kill each other in battlefields. Behavior Unlike werewolves, werebears can't infect other people but they can inflict almost incurable wounds. In the Viking Age, one could become berserker by wearing a bearskin blessed by Odin or being child of the werebear. Nowadays with special bearskins gone and paganism mostly dead, being a werebear is genetic. For while the berserkers were thought to be extinct after end of the Viking era, but people of Russia do tells stories of both werewolves and werebears, meaning some of their descendants are still around to this day. Because werebears transform after losing their minds, they can keep low profile more easily than werewolves. Some of them even are unaware of their supernatural gene. They can get angry more easily than a normal person, but usually they walk away from the dispute so they don't accidentally get too enraged. History Werebears were desired warriors to be added into the viking ranks, along with the werewolves and wereboars, or Úlfhéðnar and Svinfylking, as they were called in Old Norse. One noteworthy berserker was a brave warrior named Bödvar Bjarki son of werebear Prince Björn. Legend has it that Björn's stepmother, a witch named Hvit, tried to seduce him, but Björn harsly refused her. Enraged, Hvit turned the prince into a bear and banished him to woods. Occasionally Björn emerged out from the woods to hunt and eat sheep for his sustenance but people in the kingdom were immediately scared by the bear. While stealing sheep from one farm, Björn met a woman named Bera. Björn did not hurt her but instead went back to the woods and, puzzled by the animal's behavior, Bera followed him. Once arriving to bear's cave at the night, Bera Found Björn in his human form. Unlike werebears of these days, Björn transformed into a bear during the day and returned to his human form during the night. Bera visited Björn many nights and eventually slept with him, bearing triplets. At the same time, King Hring, Björn's father, had send his huntsmen to hunt the bear, without knowing it was his lost son. Bjorn realised that his end would be near so he instructed Bera to go to king after his death and ask for whatever is underneath the bear’s left shoulder. He also warned her not to eat the bear's flesh, otherwise her children would be born deformed. The next day Björn turned into a bear in the morning and kings huntsmen caught up with him. Björn fought furiously, killing all the dogs and some of the hunters but in the end he died. As she promised, Bera went the king and made the strange request. King's men found a Björn's ring under the bear's shoulder and slowly everyone started to realise what happened to the prince. During the feast, Hvit offered Bera a plate of stew. Bera swallowed some of her morsel before realizing it was bear meat and spat it out. Bera's first two sons, Elk-Frodi with legs of a elk and Thorir with dog's feet, were born deformed but last son born, Bödvar was seemingly normal boy. When he grew up to be a man, he asked his mother about his father. After learning the truth, Bödvar abducted Hvit from her bed, dragged her into the dark street to beat her up and after that he put a leather bag over her head and suffocated her. Loving his wife despite her wrongdoings, the King Hring was only one in whole kingdom who mourned the witch's death. Bödvar later travels to the Denmark, befriending its king Hroft, helps his son Hjalti to slay a troll that terrorised Hroft's kingdom for every Yuletime and both heroes are appointed as a king's champions. This joy did not last long when the king's half-elven half-sister Skuld convinces her husband Hjorvard, one of Hroft's subkings, to overthrow the king. They assemble a great army filled with strong warriors, criminals, elves and norns. Skuld conceals the growing army with magic and Hroft doesn't know what's going on until it's too late. During the battle, Bödvar shows his own deformity and transforms into a bear and attacks the Skuld's men. The victory seems certain, but Hjalti accidentally wakes Bödvar up from his trance, turning him back to a man and Skulds uses her magic to resurrect the soldiers killed by Bödvar. With this her army overhelms Hroft and his last soldiers, including Bödvar, thus making a victorious Skuld the queen of the Denmark. The historians in these day believe that stories of berserkers transforming into a animals is exaggerated legends based from use of drugs. Powers Superhuman durability' - '''Technically a berserker can be killed with conventional weapons but it takes time for beast's skin and fur to get worn down enough to be pierced '''Claws and teeth -' Although bite or scratch by the werebear won't turn the victim into one, they can inflict wounds that almost cannot be healed Pain insensitivity - '''In its wild rage, werebear can't feel pain Weaknesses '''Werebear powder- '''Technically not weakness against the werebears themselves, but bones of dead werebear can be burned and ground into powder. Wounds made by werebear can only be healed by rubbing this powder on them '''Rage- '''Because of its blind rage, berserker has barely any sense of its surroundings and attacks anything that moves, making it predictable and easy to be fooled by the experienced hunter '''Decapitation''-''' ''The neck is the werebears's weakest point against ordinary weapons, it doesn't mean it will be easy though '''Other Werebear - '''So far, only claws and teeth of other werebear can pierce werebear hide without any resistance Category:Shapeshifters Category:Supernatural Creatures Category:Supernatural Category:Europe Category:Werewolves